The Past
by Wholesome-FF
Summary: Darwin is happy with the life he has. A thoughtful family, a carefree lifestyle, and good morals to guide him. But for as long as he can remember, there is still one thing that bothers him. Something that keeps him awake on some nights and that he always wished to know the answer(s) to. Now, they finally will be: Who were Darwin's biologic parents, & why did they give him up?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey readers and writers! Before beginning to read this, I just want to say: Yes, I know this topic has been explained and done before, but I have decided to do this little cliche a bit differently. While I have by no means read all of the stories about Darwin parents, I know that the many that do exist all do it in a way where Darwin will come face-to-face with his biologic fish parents, but that is not happening here. This story will NOT involve Darwin actually meeting his parents; you will see what I mean if you decide to read my little tale.**

 **I also wanted to let you guys know that, in a future chapter, I plan on basically elaborating on Darwin's advanced evolution occurrence from the episode "The Origins" in what you could call a "soft sci-fi" kind of way (hence the genre picking). What this means is that, for those who don't mind the use of magic in the show, but would still like a somewhat more science explanation for why stuff happens (like myself), I plan to use a bunch of technical jargon to explain this from a story narrative stylization.**

 **[Also this one is for anyone currently (still) reading my "The Blood" story. I have not abandoned that train wreck of a story by any means, but I think I burned myself out on it and just needed a break from it. I'll finish it eventually, but with the fandom dying so fast because of the show's end, I wanted to get out this last idea I have had stuck in my head forever. This is basically my theory as to how Darwin is who he is and why we don't see his parents/what happened]**

 **Okay, I'm done now. I hope you like my little story/theory! More to come... sometime. Bye!**

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It was a sunny and beautiful day in Elmore. Birds flying gracefully in the shining sun. Cars bustling everywhere in the day. For a certain blue cat and orange goldfish, they were spending it at the Elmore mall. Their mother's station wagon pulled up along the curve of the entrance, just under the giant cursive E.

"I'll be here to pick you boys up in about 2 hours", Nicole Watterson said from the driver side. Her children Gumball and Darwin were already standing outside the entrance. "If you want to be picked up early, just call me and I'll come get you, alright?"

"We got it mom," Gumball said in a detached and slightly annoyed manner like any other kid might. Nicole twisted the keys and turned the car on. She set it in gear and was ready to drive off, but not before saying one last piece of motherly advice.

"Remember to not talk to strangers and stay safe. Love you." Gumball and Darwin both responded back saying they loved her too, but while Gumball remained uninterested, Darwin's was more sincere and happy. Before they knew it, she drove off and left the two alone. They both simultaneously turned to enter the inside of the mall, stepping through the sliding glass doors.

"So where do you want to go," Gumball asked Darwin with a genuine smile. He was expecting to hear his adopted sibling say the video store for a game or the food court for some grub. Instead, he got something he never would have thought to hear.

"Well, actually, I was going to go off on my own. I got some business I need to attend to." A daft look came to Gumball and suddenly set flags off in his head.

He could not help buy ask in a baffled way "Really? Why?" by then, they had made it to the center of the mall, where they both stopped to face each other. Gumball remained slightly stunned. Darwin seemed a little worried but talked normal.

"It's not that I don't want to spend time with you, but I was the one who asked Mrs. Mom if she would take me to the mall. You just decided to tag along."

"Well yeah, but I thought that would make you happy, me joining and all." Darwin was beginning to feel a little insulted to say the least. To him, it sounded like Gumball was implying that Darwin couldn't be away from him without being sad. Maybe that was true long ago, but time changes people. He crossed his fins and look at Gumball with a bit of distaste. He kept the attitude in his voice in check though to try and not sound aggravated.

"Is there something wrong with me being by myself for a change?" AT this point, Gumball began to sweat a little. He knew what he was thinking, but he was not going to say it to Darwin. He uncomfortably stumbled on his wording some, saying "um" and "I-uh" a few times over. The longer it went on, the more suspicious Darwin became. Finally, Gumball came up with an answer.

"N-no man, your-you're good. I-I-I just meant that as in I-ehm, well I… IIIII understand!" He smiled nervously at Darwin, hoping he wasn't mad. Darwin put his arms back down to his side and rose his head slightly up.

"Good, glad to hear." When he lowered it Gumball returned to a normal position.

"If I may ask… What exactly were you coming here for?" Darwin almost immediately responded.

"None of your business!" He said it so fast that Gumball immediately grew suspicious himself.

"Woah, okay dude, chill. You just said you had business coming here; it sounds like you didn't come here to do any shopping, so I just wondered why you…" Gumball trailed off as he spoke. Darwin became concerned all of a sudden.

"Gumball?" he asked in a nervous tone. Then, the blue cat suddenly gave a cheeky smile.

"Ooooh I get it now." Now Darwin was the one who became worried.

"You-you do?" He held one of his shoulders with the other arm grinning hard with pupils dilated back.

"I can't believe this. Why didn't you just tell me? I would have understood." Darwin couldn't believe what he was hearing. It sounded like he had figured Darwin out, and without thinking, Darwin was about to spill the truth.

"Gumball, I'm sorry, I just didn't-"

"You dog!" Before Darwin had a chance to react, Gumball pulled him in by the side with one arm on the shoulder furthest from the cat. "You and Carrie have a date here, don't you?" Gumball began to laugh. Darwin's worried expression did not change, but his eyes were returning back to normal slowly but surely. "That's why you don't want me with you, right?" Gumball continued to laugh, having to let go of Darwin to hold his sides together.

Darwin tried to speak up "Uhm, I-", but before he could answer, Gumball did it for him.

"Darwin, it's fine okay? You don't have to be embarrassed about it. I get it." Gumball finished his laughing, even having to wipe a tear away from his eye. "You go enjoy your date with her. I'll go walk around and see if there's any overpriced junk or clothing I might need from this rip-off complex." He turned around and walked away, saying "Good luck, stud" in a joking manner with an emphasis on the last word. Darwin didn't say anything, just watching him walk away. He was a little disappointed how suddenly Gumball accepted that answer without even letting him finish. However, he was also quite grateful for his flout of a behavior.

"Well… at least now I don't have to lie to him about the truth." Darwin turned away from the center and began walking in the opposite direction of Gumball. "I have two hours to find the guy and get what I came for. Hopefully that should be enough time."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again everyone. I want to say thanks for your encouragement and support to continue the story, readers and reviewers alike. I whipped up this chapter unexpectedly fast for you guys to read. Maybe I did it to prove I'm sticking with this, maybe I did it because I wanted to - IDK really. It is a little superfluous, but still critical for the story to progress, so if you want the tl;dr version I'll leave it at the bottom for you to decide.**

 **Okay then, bye everyone! :)**

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A loud ear piercing screech echoed an entire parking lot with the opening of a metal door. *Clunk* the door went upon being pushed open from the mall's interior. Out stepped Darwin, stepping a little more into the parking garage and stopping just as the door closed behind him. "Alright, the post online said he would be on level 4, section B. This is the 4th floor." He looked to his left and saw a giant A hanging from the top of the 5th floor platform. He scanned the right and could barely make out the B down the column from the A side. He began walking again to section B. As he looked around for whatever it was he was searching for, he began having second thoughts.

"Maybe I should have told Gumball the truth. Maybe it wasn't right of me to come alone to do this." Despite sounding like he was trying to talk himself out of his predicament, he continued forward looking left and right as he went. He could see the other end of the parking garage where the B was, and just at the corner of the other end, hidden behind some grey SUV, Darwin found what he was looking for. He started running for only a few seconds to get a better look at the hidden vehicle. All he saw at first was a sliver of red that stretched high above the ground, but with every step he ran closer, he could make out more of it. From the box shape and wide panel doors on the back, it was going to be a red van. He could see yellow highlights that became a decal grafitti'd on. Apart from the makings, it was looked like any other type of van, but everyone knew that in Elmore, nothing was ever normal. Darwin knew exactly what this van was; none other than the infamous Awesome Store. A place where only a select few and chosen bought magical items, good and bad. A place Richard Watterson frequented more haphazardly than he should have. But most of all, to Darwin, this place was like another kind of home. This was exactly what Darwin was looking for, but being here now, actually having found it, it left him with chills. He felt uneasy, a little shaken. He wanted to knock on the side of the van, but his own paranoia kept him from doing it. His fin shaking as he held it near the side. He almost didn't think he could go through with this.

Almost. Regardless however, Darwin had every intention. He asked Nicole to bring him hear. He blew off Gumball to come here on his own. This was what Darwin wanted. "I can't back out now," he said, trying to encourage himself to knock already. "This might be my only chance. If I don't do this..." He still couldn't knock on the metal frame though, not until he used his other fin to push the one held up onto the door. A single loud *clank* was made. Darwin could not believe he had done that. But seeing as how the knock happened, he continued on knocking normally, knowing he had passed the point of no return. He hit his fin on the side a few more times and took a step back. He waited for about five seconds before the door pushed forward. *Clunk* the side door went falling down a few centimeters. Darwin didn't flinch, but he did hold his arms up in front of himself in some worry. The red and garfitti'd door ever so slowly rolled to the back side of the van. Darwin could see nothing and no one inside. However, smoke did come out, falling from the floor of the van and on to the pavement. By time the door had finally opened all the way, Darwin could still not see anything inside. The interior was pitch black and void of light. This only made Darwin feel worse. What set him nearly over the edge however, was the sound of a raspy, whispering voice that came from the van.

"Welcome," it said heavily. The voice sounded like a man, and Darwin figured it had to be the owner. What made it scary however was that there was no sign of him inside. But just then, out of the intense darkness appeared a large pair of eyes without any pigment or color. Under normal circumstances, this would frighten even an adult possibly. But strangely enough, when Darwin saw the eyes, he suddenly felt more comfortable. The voice and eyes continued on but stopped almost immediately after seeing Darwin. "to the-hmm?" The pair of eyes shot up in surprise. "A child?" By this point, Darwin felt he had to say something.

"Uhh, H-hi sir." He began rubbing the back of his head with some embarrassment. "I'm, I'm sorry to bother you, but is this: The Awesome Store?"

"What? How do you know-kno-no-I uh, I mean-wh-wh-what Awesome Store? I-I have never heard of this place." Darwin could tell the obvious BS was obvious, getting serious for a moment. He wouldn't have if he didn't feel compelled to coming here in the first place.

"I know this is The Awesome Store, alright. I have even seen you before when I was with Gumball." The store owner could not think of anything to say, feeling backed into a corner, literally and mentally that is. He released a bitter sigh of agrivation.

"Okay, yes, this is The Awesome Store, but I don't sell my wares to anyone under eighteen." Right after saying this, the eyes became dilated in shock once again. "Hey wait a minute. How did you even know where to find me? I only give my location out to customers; any newbies have to get permission from me and the customers I have shopping here." Darwin did not hesitate to answer.

"I saw your post on from my dad's Elmore Stream."

"Oh I see. So you managed to hack into your father Elmore Stream account to find my location and track me down? Bravo."

"Actually, I just saw it, but I know of you because of him, Richard Watterson."

"Wait, what?!" The pair of eyes disappeared into the sheath of darkness. Darwin curiously rose his head up some and try to see what was going on inside. All he heard was the voice though. "Oh no. Oh no no no! I forgot to set that post as group only and made it public! Now everyone will know where I am!" Without seeing it coming, the eyes charged out of the blackness and darted right at Darwin. "Listen kid, you finding me was a mistake. I don't sell my products to minors. Come and find me in about a decade or so and then we can do business." Out of the dark, a shadowy hand grabbed hold of the handle of the side door. Without hesitation, pulled the door back into a locked position.

"Wait, Mister," Darwin cried out, collapsing against the side of the door. "It's not like that. I didn't come here to buy anything from you." The sound of the car engine turning on caught Darwin's attention. He ran for the driver side door, seeing the misty figure and pair of white eyes only slightly better. The eyes looked down at him as the window rolled down.

"Then whatever you are trying to sell me, I'm not interested kid." The man set the van in gear.

"No, it's not like that either. I don't want to sell you something." Before he could finish, the van began driving out of the corner. It proceeded to make a break for the entrance 3 floors below. Seeing it pull out scared Darwin more than anything. He couldn't let it get away, but he didn't know how to stop him. Even though it was the last thing he wanted to blurt out, he felt he had no choice, and just at the last possible second the van was going to turn, Darwin screamed at the top of his lungs as loud as he could.

"I WAS SOMETHING YOU SOLLLLLD!" Suddenly, the van's back lights glowed red and the van came to a stop. Darwin couldn't believe it worked. A smile came over him seeing the van not leave. It began to reverse back towards Darwin's direction, stopping right alongside the orange fish. The smoky figure with the big eyes put the van in park and gave Darwin a look for the ages.

"Come again?" It was all he could say in the shock of hearing something so perverse. Darwin didn't care though, he was just glad the man had stopped when he had.

"It's true," Darwin blurted out with some awkward glee. "In a way, I belonged to you many years ago." The eyes just grew to be concerned.

"I think you must be confused or something. I have never in my entire life sold a child to anyone. The only people who do that are criminals and the government, and I'm not associated with either of them."

"No, really. I mean, I'm not the same as you might remember, but I haven't changed that much." The man was silent, not saying anything. Darwin was beginning to get a little depressed. "Do you really not remember me?" The eyes didn't answer right away.

"Well I've seen you around town with that blue cat before, but how could I possibly…" The longer he stared at Darwin, the weirder the shadow figure felt. He could feel a strange sense of déjà vu coming to him, but he didn't let that interfere with him. "Maybe you can give me some clues to better remember?" Darwin was still upset the man didn't recognize him, but he figured that if it helped, then by all means he'd tell him anything he wanted.

"Okay, sure. Back then, I was just a regular goldfish. I didn't have legs."

"An ordinary goldfish?"

"Right!" The figure held up his black smoked hands, forming a stock frame with his thumbs and index fingers. He centered it over Darwin enough to show only his body and arms. He could sense a strange resonance from the boy, like maybe he did know Darwin after all. He almost started to beleive Darwin might be telling the truth. Still, no dice.

"Hmmm, I'm still not recalling. Can you tell me anything else?"

"Well, do you know a guy named Richard Watterson? He's a pink rabbit, wears a tie, very nice to everyone." The eyes looked up at the ceiling for a couple of seconds trying to recall.

"Is he a fat one?" That was the last thing Darwin wanted to say, but undoubtedly, he did say yes.

"Yeah, he is, but he was the one who got me from you about eight years ago. Does that help?" The shopkeeper still kept a stock frame on Darwin as he talked.

"I know the guy. I have sold him quite a bit of stuff over the years." He focused in on Darwin more, trying his best to recall the fish. Darwin gave him a small hopeful smile, managing to squish his cheeks out. The man talked to himself quietly. "Eight years ago? To him? And just a fish?" The more he stared at Darwin, the more he was beginning to believe him. The man did not know how, but he believed what Darwin was saying. Seeing him as a regular goldfish did bring back something from long ago. It took him a while, but eventually, his memory caught up, and when it did, it hit him like a bag of bricks. His eyes open wide and he gave out a surprising gasp. As soon as Darwin heard him and saw his eyes go up, he became immediately ecstatic.

"You remember now?" The man didn't answer right away for the second time in a row due to shock. He just stared at Darwin through his finger-made frame. The memories of Darwin came flooding back to him all in an instant.

"I… I do. I can't believe it's actually you!" His voice did not sound enthusiastic like Darwin, which did concern Darwin a little. He didn't have time to say anything as the man continued on. "I thought it was just coincidence, and overtime I accepted that, but it's really you." He pulled his hands down, looking at himself below. "I should have known you would one day come back, but I never thought you would be so young." Darwin's smile was gone, feeling as if the atmosphere had changed all of a sudden. This was not the kind of reaction he was expecting when meeting the guy.

"What? Is it bad that I'm here?" The shopkeeper did not look up at Darwin, continuing to stare at himself from behind the comfort of his door.

"Why are you here?" It was a simple question, but Darwin didn't know how to explain it. He couldn't believe how depressed the eyes sounded when saying it. He could swear something wasn't right in his voice. It made Darwin a little unsteady himself.

"Uhm, well I, eh-hmm, I came because I wanted to ask you some questions about my... my..." The eyes turned soft as they looked up at Darwin, no longer antagonistic or intense.

"Let me guess: your parents?" Darwin couldn't believe he solve it so fast. Was it really that obvious why he came? Still, he was right.

"Ye-yeah. How did you know?" The eyes stayed focused on Darwin, careful to not sound so threatening like before.

"Educated guess, and I always believed one day, you might come back. I just wished you were older when you did." He sounded so sad, and feeling it only made Darwin sad. This was not how Darwin imagined it would be.

"So… you said you knew them?"

"Ei, that I did." Hearing this lightened Darwin up to a degree.

"Well, then great. I figured since I was adopted from here, you might be the last person to see and tell me about them? I want to know if you knew what they were like, and maybe why they couldn't keep me and stuff."

"But why? Why are you doing this?" Darwin was not expecting to hear him ask why, but he did have his reasons, and wasn't afraid to share it.

"I... It's just… it's something I always wanted to know, simply to know. Sometimes, I just think about why I am here, the way I am, and I guess a part of me would just like to know more about my birth parents for… for closure, to put it all behind me."

A short silence stood between them, and all the man said was "Fair enough". He started his van and put it in gear. "Alright kid, you really want to know the truth? Then meet me at the east alleyway of the mall in ten minutes. I'll answer any questions you have then."

"Wait, why can't you just tell me now?"

"Everyone knows where I am, and I've made a few enemies in my life that I try to avoid. Plus…" His eyes looked up beyond Darwin's scalp. When Darwin looked behind him, he saw a CCTV camera looking right at them. Darwin turned his head back to the Awesome Store owner. "It already looks bad enough me talking with you for so long. I don't want anymore trouble than I am already borrowing if you catch my drift". Darwin didn't understand the 'drift', but he didn't want to argue or ask what he meant. The point was: He had already succeeded in getting the owner's attention. The last thing he wanted was to ward him off and miss this opportunity.

"Okay. The east alleyway in ten minutes?"

"Right. I'll see you then." With that, the van drove away down and turned a corner to no longer be seen anymore. Darwin kept watching it until it had disappeared from his field of vision.

"I guess I should go meet him there." Darwin walked back through the garage and into the mall. The journey had ended, but the story has only just begun for the little orange goldfish.

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 **Tl;dr: Darwin enters the parking garage to find The Awesome Store and confronts the owner about him being sold by him. Depressed and somewhat guilty-sounding, he reluctantly agrees to tell Darwin what he wants, but must first meet somewhere more secluded.**


	3. Chapter 3

From around a corner, Darwin stepped out into view of the alley. At the end, he could see the red van parked all the way down. Darwin looked behind him to see if anyone was around to notice him by himself. There were strangers walking in various directions, but it looked like no one paid any attention to him. He slid into the alley and began walking down to the van. He passed various garbage containers and little bugs and rats scattered around the place. There were various colored puddles all around the ground. Darwin made sure not to step on anything, trying to avoid getting his shoes dirty in case Gumball or his parents might take notice. When he reached the back of the van, he knocked three times on the back side doors.

"Hello, mister? It's me, Darwin." The latch inside the doors made noise as though it were unlocking. Darwin took a step back, expecting them to open up. They did, but it happened so fast that, before Darwin could see it coming, he was suddenly sucked inside. Not grabbed or pulled, but just dragged in by some unknown vacuum-like force. It was so fast that when he gave a slight shriek, the noise of the suction mostly covered it from the outside world. As soon as he was gone into the dark interior of the van, the doors closed shut.

In the darkness, a pair of circular eyes appeared, looking in various directions. "Wh-what's going on?! Where am I?! What did you do?!" It was evidently Darwin, who was beginning to panic.

"It's okay." The same voice from earlier echoed through the darkness, but out of the nowhere, the darkness was pushed back. Various candles spontaneously combusted at the wicks, lighting up the entire area. Darwin was able to see himself. He also noticed that he was sitting on a green couch and in front of him was an ottoman. The area was still too dim to make out much, but judging from the size and the photos and art hanging on the wall as well as the wallpaper scheme of gothic flowers, it felt like a living room of some kind. "You'll have to forgive me for being so impertinent like that." The eyes of the owner suddenly appeared in front of Darwin from about 3 meters (9 feet) away, opening slowly as to not startle the boy. His voice was soothing and relaxed, like butter rolling down a slice of cooked toast. "It just would have looked bad, you stepping into my van and all. I hope you don't mind the candles, as I don't have much in the way of lighting around here. In a way, darkness has always been like… an old friend of mine." Darwin continued to look around, trying to get a sense of where he was. He spoke his thoughts at the set of eyes.

"This doesn't feel like your van."

"Well that's because it's not." Hearing this, it grabbed Darwin's attention. "We're actually in my closet."

"What? That doesn't make sense. This doesn't look anything like a closet. It's too big and we are not surrounded by clothes."

"No we are not, but we are in my van's closet. You didn't actually think I lived in my van did you?"

"Uhh… well, I…"

"Ugh, children these days. Technically, I do, but in reality I don't. My closet is dimensionally transcendental, meaning it's bigger on the inside than it is outside." This surprised Darwin to say the least.

"But, but how is that even possible?"

"Well it mostly has to with dimensions and portals, but you didn't come here to learn about that stuff, did you?" The eyes leaned slightly in and the voice became more serious. "You came here to discuss something personal." Darwin was feeling a little intimidated, but he kept his head level and his mind focused.

"Yeah, that's right. You know why I came to find you." The eyes leaned back in place, changing focus and size as the possessor went on.

'Of course I do. This all has to do with your parents. I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if not. I suppose introductions are in order. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Xavier Zymbeckalamar, but most who know me personally call me X, or for I guess, Mr. Z."

"Well Mr. Z, my name is Darwin."

"Darwin, huh? So that's the name that rabbit gave you then?"

"Well no actually, it was Gumball who named me. He's his son."

"Interesting that he has a son. You had a last name too, yes?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well I just find it… curious that you have the family's last name. I guess that means I was right to have sold you to him." Darwin could feel the tension setting in. He felt awkward and a little depressed bringing this kind of stuff up, but he also expected this too. He knew talking about this kind of stuff would make him uncomfortable; he saw it as the price he had to pay to learn the truth. Trying to shake it off, he continued.

"Well, I do love my family. It's not a perfect life, but it sure isn't boring or broken either. For the most part, I like to believe the Wattersons love me too, even though I'm not a traditional son or sibling." He gave the man a smile to show he was telling the truth. Darwin couldn't tell anything from Xavier when all he had to go on was a set of eyes. What Darwin didn't know was that Xavier paid close attention, especially in deep thought upon hearing the word 'son'.

"For the most part you say? Does that mean not always?" There was that tension again, like the gravity was seizing up around Darwin. The smile was replaced by his signature stuck out lip.

"I mean, like I said, it's not perfect, but every family has some dysfunctionality to them. Otherwise, we'd look like those families you see on TV who were sweaters and sing all the time and make normal people feel awkward."

"Then if I may ask, for the sake of my, ehm… conscious: Do they treat you well?" With this, the tension was enough to pull Darwin's arms to his sides, holding down his lower fins in front of his body. He was silent for a second, mauling over the question in his head before answering.

"I… I guess. It-it's not like, like they mean to or anything. Every family has it's problems with each other. I know there are some kids at my school who don't get along with their parents or others. Believe me: Things are a lot better now than they used to be – not that I'm saying they hurt me! I don't mean-"

"Shhhhh. It's just a simple question. Don't feel like you have to hide anything from me. Remember: I was like your guardian a long time ago, and they're not here to listen. I'll repeat: Do they treat you: well?" Darwin listened and took some time before answering again, this time a little longer. He took a deep breath, and released it as a sigh.

"Yes and no, okay? It sometimes worries me to think that, behind their care and love, they just put up with me rather than respect me. I want to believe they love me like one of them, and I mostly do, but sometimes… I think about how I was once a fish, and how that was what Gumball's parents wanted. Then when I grew legs and all, everything changed. Now I live a good life, but… was it fair to them, and is that why I feel and possibly treated different?"

"And there it is." Xavier leaned a bit back in his spot, continuing to observe Darwin. "So that's why you came to me, hmm? To figure out what you are and what or who your parents were? To know if you should be where you are today, and perhaps where they are, but most of all… To know what happened between them, and your current family?" Darwin couldn't believe how clear he made it all. He managed to express some thoughts even Darwin did not fully form.

Very nervous and almost scared, Darwin sputtered out "y-ye-yeah, r-r-ri-right." Xavier pulled himself forward.

"Well I guess it is understandable, what with you being adopted and all. As long as they treat you well, then that's all that matters. That is what your parents wanted when you were placed under my care and protection, and it makes me feel better knowing that too." Darwin figured this was a sign to change the subject, Whether it was intentional or not, he took the bait.

"So my parents… you knew them after all?" Xavier didn't say anything. He looked down into the darkness below him. The corners of his eyes closed-in around his colorless pupils. His eyelids covering half the white to his eyes. Darwin, unable to see his body or head, could only assume it to be hanging. An air of gloom was making it's way around them. Then suddenly, Xavier broke the silence while still focusing away from the fish.

"Why am I doing this?" He was talking to himself. "Why did I agree to tell you?" Darwin was surprised by the question.

"What do you mean," he asked Xavier dumbfounded. As Xavier went on, he continued to get elevate on volume.

"Why?... Why am I going to tell you these things? What am I supposed to say?" Darwin could immediately tell that something was wrong. Just from the tone in his voice, he sounded depressed, but he didn't know why. "Maybe it's because I pity you… Or maybe because of guilt… Or maybe I'm just plain crazy?" He started chuckling to himself. It went on for a while, to the point where Darwin had to ask him the obvious.

"What's wrong?" Xavier continued to chuckle as though he was ignoring Darwin. Eventually, he stopped, looking up to face the fish. The mood had shifted.

"I… I'm sorry." Xavier began feeling ashamed, or at least that's what he sounded like beyond the darkness. "I'm sorry for… for what I did to you. It's all my fault – everything." He stopped for a couple seconds, but came back. "You… your parents… it-it's all my fault." Darwin could almost swear he was bellowing as puffs of breath were produced by Xavier. It was not the first time Darwin had seen or heard a grown man cry, but that was always Richard who did; this made Darwin cringe in awkwardness.

"You're fault? What does that mean?" Xavier did not respond right away, having to compose himself back once more.

"Darwin, was it?" He still sounded miserable, but at least he seemed normal again. Darwin on the other hand was a little concerned, both for himself and Xavier.

"Yeah?"

"Look… You deserve to know the truth about your parents, and I will tell you if you still want to. However… it is worth noting that: this story I am about to tell you, while true, is not a happy one." The eyes moved up and turned to the right. Xavier began walking towards one end of the room, and as he passed in front of the candles in the background, Darwin could see part of the figure's waist. Whoever the owner was, he was slender, opaque, and slightly transparent, as if he were a literal manifestation of black smoke. It creeped Darwin out, and he wanted to say something about it, but he let the man continue. "I'm not saying that this story has no good parts or happy thoughts…" Just like his sentence, he stopped at what looked like the wall of the room. Darwin could barely make out under the candle light that he was standing in front of a table with a bunch of glasses and a container of brown liquid inside. It was too dark to tell what it was. "And it will provide you with the closure you seek, but overall…" He paused to open the container and poured a glass for himself. "It's a story not for the faint of heart." He closed the bottle and grabbed the glass, walking back to Darwin. He finished when he sat back down in his place. "Everything I say will stay as true to the original as it possibly can. I'll also be sure to keep it amendable for your age without skipping the major details too. But what I want to know from you, Darwin Watterson, is this:…" He paused one last time to take a sip from his glass, with only the clinking noise of ice and the cup as evidence of his action. "Are you really sure that you want to know?" It almost sounded like Xavier was trying to scare Darwin out of knowing the truth. Of course, considering this warning was so dark, it made sense why Darwin remained so quiet and spooked. Surrounded by the darkness and candlelight did not help the situation either.

But nevertheless, the test of Darwin's nerves and determination passed along with him, and after careful contemplation, answered the cold and detached question with an equally affirmative "yes". Xavier was amazed a tad, yet Darwin wasn't finished. He looked straight at the eyes, brow lowered and stern as could be in his assurance. "I do appreciate the warning, but I can't run away from this. I've pushed myself to come this far, and I won't turn back because I was scared. Do your worst and tell me what you can – everything possible, please." Xavier was impressed, applauding internally to the young lad. He could tell that Darwin truly meant business, and for such a young age was admirable. Behind the black coloring of the atmosphere, Xavier secretly smiled at him.

"Well then," He started off just before taking another sip from his glass. "Let us begin, shall we?" He closed his eyes and leaned back some. It looked like he was gone, but Darwin didn't have time to worry when he heard his voice. This time was different however, because unlike previously when Xavier was speaking directly to Darwin, Xavier's voice echoed up into the sky, fainter but still audible. "I guess we should start with how I met those two, and we'll work our way from there-on." Without seeing it coming, a bubble started forming in the area above where Xavier had faded. It was small but grew bigger and bigger almost instantly to the size of a circular area rug. It had to be four times taller than Darwin, and slowly, colors began to change as a picture was forming. Darwin looked around him to see if the light was showing any of the surroundings. Sadly, it was as if the light was contained as it was still pitch around him aside from the candles. When he diverted his attention back on the circular mural, a picture was formed. It showed an aerial view slightly from off the ground of what appeared to be a small body of water in a random forest. The various types of trees surrounding the body were a lush dark green. The sky above was clear without a cloud in sight during the middle of daytime. A few birds were visible in the distance, sailing across to wherever they were heading. It was like something one saw in a museum. Darwin even took notice of how everything looked like it was painted, even seeing the smear marks of what had to be brush strokes. To the trained eye, it was some form of moving watercolor art, yet the shadowing, the light, the colors – it all looked so real and vibrant as everything moved. It was a style that did not exist in their world but seen in other artforms.

"Woooow," Darwin let out long and breathtakingly. All kinds of neurons in his child-like head were overflowing with serotonin and possibly other stimulant pleasure compounds. This literal moving watercolor art was better than anything he had ever seen on T.V. before. The watercolors changed in shade and depth, swaying left and right slightly. It was almost as if they colors breathed in and out, pulsed back and forth like they were alive. The yellow sun became darker for half a second, then bright again; the same for the trees, the water, the different shades of grass. The words alone could not capture the beauty found in the floating, moving image standing high.

"This, is where I met your parents the day I found you. In a blue freshwater lake, and the day I arrived was when everything changed for everyone." Out of the trees to the side, the Awesome Store red van appeared under the tree brush. "This is where we begin, and soon enough…" Xavier opened his eyes, showing he was tilted back at about a sixty-degree angle facing the painted screen. "It will also be where the story shall end."


End file.
